Ad Infinitum
by Aesclepius
Summary: Their love would last to infinity without end. No matter what came.Or would it? A handsome, popular Blitz playa. He had all the girls mooning after him. She? A sweet, shy singer, who kept dreaming of her Prince Charming. This is their story, their fairy t
1. Beginnings

**Disclaimer:**_ FFX-2, all characters and places mentioned in this story are property of SquareEnix._

**Author's Note:**_ I worked really hard on this, and this is my first FF fic, so I hope y'all like it._

* * *

A Thousand Pieces Of My Heart

_Unbelievable sights  
Indescribable feeling  
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling  
Through an endless diamond sky..._

_-Aladdin _

* * *

**Prologue**

The little girl ran breathlessly into the small, tumbledown room. She was dripping big droplets of water, which also trickled down her face. Little wonder; a huge storm was halfway through raging outside. The room itself was not dry; cracks in the 'roof' let down lots of rainwater, She clutched a small, soggy piece of bread in her hand.

"Mama?" she called out. She had a peculiarly sweet voice.

She ran to the figure that huddled on the dusty, moth-eaten rugs in the corner of the tiny room. "I've found some food for you, so you won't feel hungry anymore." She was hungry herself, but that didn't matter. She thrust the slice at her mother. Her mother made no movement, nor did she open her eyes. "She's asleep," murmured the girl. She placed the slice of bread gently beside the sleeping woman and stood up.

"She's dead, child."

* * *

**Meetings**

Lenne peered nervously out at the crowd from behind the thick velvet curtains. Once more, she marveled at the size of the crowd. She had expected it to be nothing more than fifty people at most, and yet here was the auditorium more than half full already.

She reminded herself that Uncle was a _very _influential man. Thinking of Uncle made her anxiety reappear. Uncle wasn't here; he was in the crowd. And she was all alone. In a few minutes, she would have to go out there and _sing_. Lenne told herself to take deep breaths, and she fiddled with the hem of her songstress skirt.

Again she scanned the crowd, observing certain interesting individuals. She saw Uncle's business partner with his wife and children. _So he has come! How nice of him!_ Her eyes roved on, and by fell on a blond haired boy who had obnoxiously taken over two seats, for himself and his feet respectively. _How rude of him!_ Lenne thought in disgust.

Lenne realized that the boy was actually staring at _her_, with a smile that could only be described as scornful on his face. It was almost a sneer. She scowled at him and shut the curtains hastily. To think she would have to perform in front of people like _that_.

Since childhood, she had loved singing, although she had not had time or cause to sing in her younger years. It was by chance that Uncle had heard her sing, and he had told her it was beautiful voice that _had_ to be nurtured.

And today he had fixed a concert for her. An actually concert. Lenne set her jaw stubbornly. She _had_ to do this- for Uncle. For a man who had taken one little girl off the streets of Zanarkand and given her all she could possible want, and more. But most of all for loving her like a daughter.

She reopened the curtains again, and spotted Uncle warmly shaking hands with some newcomers. Unbidden, her eyes fell on the blond boy with the messy locks once more. His eyes were shut. Lenne sarcastically wondered if he was having a nice nap.

As the host for the evening stepped onto the stage, Lenne queasily turned away. Her initial plan was to faint, but she didn't seem to be even _feeling_ faint. Her head then swiveled nervously, looking for an escape route, a fire escape –anything.

"Presenting...Lenne!" The man's voice ripped through the tiny auditorium and aroused a loud cheer. Lenne groaned. There was _no_ escape.

"For Uncle," she told herself firmly. Summoning up all her courage, she stepped through the curtains and into the applause and bright stage lights. Unaccistomed to it, she blinked. She then looked at the crowd with what she hoped was a smile frozen on her face, she caught sight of Uncle sitting at the very front. He was beaming proudly and fondly up at her, full of confidence and joy for her. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the microphone tightly, squaring for her first song.

_For Uncle_.

* * *

Alezander Damer watched his niece sing proudly. Occasionally, he took a look at those around him, confirming that they too were showing proper appreciation and admiration for her. He fully intended to throw his nastiest, most disappointed look at anyone who didn't. Luckily for him, or perhaps for those around him, no one had merited such a punishment yet, for they all wore smiles on their faces; in varying degrees of wideness.

The average width of the smiles satisfied Alezander Damer. He returned to listening to Lenne sing.

Till this day he remembered the day he had chanced upon her singing like a nightingale in the garden. He had not been expected there. Astounded, he had paused to listen, and had almost immediately known his little niece's future. He had also known that he had the power and means to make that future a certainty.

And so he had.

_That is my niece_, he thought proudly, _Up there. That is my niece who is amazing five hundred odd people with her talent right now._ Alezander almost always forgot that Lenne was in fact only adopted by him, and biologically not his niece at all. But then, he sometimes forgot that she _was_ his niece. He considered her a daughter.

Smiling happily to himself, he thought of that wonderful secret which would confront her after this concert was over.

He was a well-known business man throughout Zanarkand and beyond, well known for his shrewd deals and his wisdom in dire situations. He was one of those men who had started out small, and made it to the top of an empire that could crumble any second.

But few people could have recognized him then.

* * *

He stretched out luxuriously, ignoring the pointed stares the people surrounding him were hurling at him. Someday, he often promised himself, someday he would find out _why_. Someday.

Right now, he was relaxing. He let the music fill him. When his father had firmly told him that he could not avoid this concert, that it was a personal favor to that rich tycoon Damer, he had groaned. But what the heck? It wasn't so bad! He was tone deaf, as he comfortably admitted to himself, but even _he_ could tell that this Lenne's voice was something else.

He cocked an eye open. She was pretty, too. Just not his type; he liked his girls bold and aware of today's trends. She looked too nervous and intimidated to interest him. She was probably a _good girl_.

He shuddered involuntarily.

* * *

She held the last note for four counts. Finally, both her voice and the music died out. But a new sound arose; five times as loud as either music or voice. Applause, wild screams and catcalls.

For her; all for her.

She smiled, and she wished her smile could widen. All her fear and doubts had evaporated. Tears threatened to drown her vision, and it was with tiny gurgles of laughter that she forced them down. She was glad; the audience had smiled with her.

Snatching the microphone off it's stand, Lenne did a very dangerous thing. "Thank you _so much_! I'm so glad you all liked it! I really am!" she cried out impulsively. Dangerous- as she could have burst into tears any second.

With one last wave and bow, Lenne scurried back behind the curtains. The noise was still there, although now it was more like a babble of excited whispers. Grabbing the velvet curtains again, she let the thick material soak up her tears. Her private cries were always quiet.

"Well, if you didn't like it, Lenny-girl, we won't try it again," said a somber voice behind her. Amidst her tears she burst out into a laughter only one person could evoke within her.

"Oh Uncle!" she half laughed and half cried as she deserted the curtain to fling herself at him. She didn't need to see the twinkle in his eye to know it would be there. "Stop that! You know why I'm crying! It was so wonderful...not just the singing- that's always wonderful- but the fact that they liked me!"

"Loved you," corrected Uncle, smiling down at her. "So I'm assuming you don't want to stop? That's fine by me!" Lenne laughed again, this time stepping back to grin at Uncle.

"I did it for _you_, Uncle. Are _you_ happy?" Lenne asked him candidly, childishly almost. Truly, Uncle's opinion was the one she had been waiting breathlessly for, the opinion that truly mattered to her. Uncle's reply smile was answer enough. Only it seemed slightly...mischievous?

"Twice as much as you, dear," he replied softly. He was touched. "Now, wipe your eyes. You can't come to the post-concert party looking like that!" Lenne's jaw dropped, and she jabbed a finger accusingly at Uncle.

"I _knew_ it! I knew you were hiding something!" Her elation at having discovered Uncle's wily trick was short-lived. It gave way to horror. "I can't! It will be one of those parties with lots of _silverware_ won't it?" That part of Lenne would never die. She shied away from most things too grand and rich to be of importance to her, and silverware was amongst the list. "Oh Uncle! Why did you do this?" Her wide eyes were reproachful now.

Uncle sighed amusedly. "Girlie, I did not arrange it. Certain appreciating members of the audience did, and I'm not even going to bother telling you how rude it would be to decline. Now move!" Steering her by the shoulders, he pushed her gently.

"They did?" she asked doubtfully.

"They did," he replied firmly.

Lenne's last thought before she stepped into a grand looking dining room of sorts was satisfaction. _I'll bet that showed that horrible boy!_

* * *


	2. Dangerous Discussions

**A/N: **_Hiya guys! Thanks so much for your reviews, I really appreciated them. Lol, and I'm an authoress, by the way, and the Shuin plushie offer is much coveted and appreciated. xP I'm **really really really really** sorry about how long it's taken me to upload this chapter; would you believe I've actually written up to Chpater 4 right now? But it's all on paper, and its the transfer of the chapters onto computer thats taking ages. I'll try and upload the next one ASAP. In the meantime, enjoy and forgive. This chapter is much longer, and a little scrappy too; it's just how they meet. ;; Sowwy!_

**Chapter 2 – Dangerous Discussions**

_Here's where she meets_

_Prince Charming,_

_But she doesn't know that it is him_

_Till chapter three..._

_-Beauty and the Beast_

* * *

Lenne tried hard to hide behind Uncle, to go unnoticed like she almost always managed to. But they would not allow her to, and her tall frame was ill concealed by the little man. She hurriedly ran her fingers through her hair, hoping it wasn't too disheveled. It almost constantly was- long hair was so hard to manage.

Unbidden, a memory floated up…

"_Lenny can be the witch!" laughed the boys, pointing at her. "Go on, Lenny. Open your hair! It looks really witchy then!" It happened every time they tried to enact out a play, a childish amusement not yet out of fashion. Lenne was always the witch, and that mean Fiola with the silky, shiny, perfectly straight hair was always the princess._

_Lenne parted her mass of unruly brown hair, and her lower lip stuck out unconsciously. "Why do **I** always have to be the witch? It's not **fair**!" she cried out. But they always had an explanation…_

"_Your hair's scary; why don't you cut it?"_

"_**Hairball!**"_

"_Your dress is always dirty- at least Fiola's is **clean**!" This from Fiola's posse._

"_My mama bought me a new dress yesterday," inserted Fiola with her nose in the air and a triumphant smile for the glowering Lenne. "Mama says she doesn't want me to …to…ass-so-shiate-" pronounced with some difficulty "-with you. You're poor, and your mama's **bad**."_

_**Smack!**_

_Lenne's palm connected solidly with Fiola's right cheek. "No one says **anything** about my mama!!!" Lenne's hair stuck out in tufts now, giving her a particularly wild and witchy look. Her hand returned to the other cheek. _

_By this time, Fiola had burst into tears, and the other children were gazing, stupefied, at Lenne in a mixture of shock, thrill and fear. After all, it was Fiola who was getting slapped-not them. But both the boys and Fiola's little posse would comfort her later all they could, eager to get a smile from those rosy little lips…oh, so rosy! Or perhaps, it was Fiola's red, tear-stained cheek that appealed to them, or the bright blue eyes._

"_Now you can be **rescued** all you want, **Princess**," was Lenne's departing shot.She had stalked away then, head held high and shoulders squared. The posture remained until she was out of sight. Once far away from the playground, she crumpled down, tears streaming down her cheeks._

_Her hair was now flying wildly all over._

_Her bare feet ran over the gravelly road without flinching. She had done it before, after all. She ran straight to the tumbledown little room she called Home. It was, in reality, an unused storage room, long forgotten by the owner. _

_Mama was there, patiently watching something from her position lying down on a pile of moth-eaten rugs. Lenne never discovered what that something was. Mama **was** alert, though. Her eyes flickered to the forlorn little figure slinking in immediately. "Darling? What's the matter?" she asked in a soft, gentle voice._

_She was dying- plagued by sickness after sickness, obtained from sleeping on damp floors, in dusty rooms and in generally unhealthy and filthy conditions. She knew it, but Lenne did not, and would not for a while yet. In the meantime, behind those patient eyes hid regret, betrayal and self-loathing, with a deep shade of bitterness. There was also love in there, love for someone lost. But who? _

_She would never forgive herself for bringing her daughter into such places, to put her sweet, innocent child through such filth and danger._

"_Boys!! Mean…cruel…said…witch!! **Fiola!** Said-said…you-y-y bad!!" choked out Lenne brokenly. "I hit her! I **hit **her, mama! She said her mama said you were **bad**! I **hate** her! And-and, they all called me a **witch**, because of my **hair**!" She flung herself face down next to mama, her shoulders quivering._

_So she never saw the bittersweet smile that spread across her mothers face._

_Boys. Naturally. Little Lenne was growing up. Her mama sighed. Boys weren't evil monsters with cooties whose sole purpose in life was to be 'tagged', anymore…_

"_Mama, can't I cut my hair?!" came the muffled request._

_Mama sighed again. She had had this before. "I told you darling. You can cut it off if you want to. **I** won't stop you. But you must know that your hair is beautiful, no matter what any boy says. You just don't realize it. Didn't you ever hear the story of Rapunzel?"_

_And so it would go; Lenne now listening rapturously, hoping one day this fairy-tale would be hers, boys and hair forgotten. She vowed to keep her hair nice and long, just like Rapunzel…_

_Not now!_

Lenne hurriedly pushed the thoughts out of her mind, and reburied the pain that came with them. Not now. There was a man standing in front of her. What was he saying? "Wonderful, really! I _really_ enjoyed it; surely you'll hold another one, soon? You must, you simply must! Your uncle tells me that you _write_ some songs…why don't you perform them??" When Lenne processed what he was saying, she took his hand gratefully and shook it.

"Thank you, I certainly hope to hold another concert! I'm _so_ glad you enjoyed it!" she said rather shyly; but with no less sincerity or gratitude. Now that she had gotten over her stage fright, she had to get over the aftermath. And this was only the beginning…

* * *

It was twelve minutes later and after shaking virtually every hand in the room that Lenne was able to pause and take a deep breath. The attention wasn't on her anymore, and everyone in the room was holding a private conversation with someone else. Just to be safe, though, she took refuge before the potted plants, whose leafy fronds hid her from view. 

_I'm so glad that all of them were so nice about my concert! Everyone!_ – "…so late? I'm sick and tired of this! You're always…"- _I wish I could do something nice for them all! _– "…ok? Dude, just chillax! What are you so damn tight about, man? Geez, I was just a little late, not…" –_So loud...who is that?_ – "…your father, young man! Show some respect! You're hopelessly spoilt, and I…" – _I'd better go…they seem to be somewhere nearby!-_ "…you **_can't_** stop me from playing, dammit!!!"

Lenne quietly moved back into the crowd, wondering about the conversation had kept intruding into her thoughts. Suddenly feeling a little lost, she searched for Uncle's face- it was her anchor. Before she could complete her search, however, she was pounced upon.

"_Dahling!"_ The voice seemed to come from a mass of pink silk, glittering diamonds and fluffy white feathers. Lenne blinked to clear her head and to get those irritating feathers away. And as for someone who flung themselves at you exclaiming "dahling", she could think of no reply. Her mouth hung open, as she struggled to find the right words.

"Dahling!" the little, stout woman cried out again rapturously. A few seconds later , Lenne gave up trying to find the right words. Instead, she smiled inanely. It must have worked, for the little woman ploughed on at great speed. "You were wonderful, dahling! I blubbered like a _baby_ during your rendition of "Vendetta"! Where _have_ you been hiding all these years?"

Lenne felt it prudent to begin with at least a "Thank you very much!" _Does she ever run out of italics? Or for that matter, does she ever stop? _"I'm so glad you-" But here she was cut off, for the little woman had emitted a loud squeal.

"_There _you are!" She was looking in the direction of the general crowd, so Lenne could not tell who exactly she was talking to. Then turning to Lenne: "Dahling, you _must_ meet him! Just a _second_!". With that, she hurled herself into the crowds bravely, elbowing several people and leaving behind a gaping Lenne.

_What on Rhea?_ Steadying herself with a deep breath, she resumed her search for Uncle almost as if nothing had taken place. And she found him- watching her with a wine glass in his hand and an amused smile on his face. He had seen the whole exchange. She shot him an indignant look, and shrugged a little. _It's not funny!_

As suddenly as before, lightning struck. "_Here_ he is, dahling!" came the jubilant call. The little woman reappeared out of throng, dragging behind her…_him_. The blond boy.

* * *

He let himself be pulled through the milling people. It was _so_ much easier…_Resistance is futile!_ He barked at himself in his own mind. _Oooh crap; too many video games…_Suddenly he lurched round a corner and found himself face to face with the starlet herself-Lenne. 

Her eyes were wide open in a startled fashion, and her lips parted ever so slightly. He also grabbed a moment to admire her _extremely_ long lashes. _Pretty, but a bit of the innocent-naïve girl types, eh? She's probably pretty boring_. He quickly lost interest and fell to disengaging his arm from Madame.

"Dahling, this is Shuin. Shuin, I'm sure you know who _Lenne_ is!" gushed Madame, playfully pushing Shuin towards her. Shuin almost stumbled under her force, but he maintained his cool composure.

"No, Madame! I have _no_ idea! Who is she?" he asked innocently, just to tease Madame a little. A playful grin flitted across his face as he spoke. Madame gave a little giggle and pushed him again.

"_Silly_ boy! Don't play games like that with _me_, Shuin!" she squealed, beaming brightly all the while at him and Lenne.

"How do you do?" Was it just him, or was the little starlets voice ever so slightly…_icy_? Shuin now eyed her warily, and gave the extended hand a brief shake. He was mindful of Madame's gaze watching every little exchange.

"Cool, thanks. How 'bout ya?" _Smooth, Shu, very smooth. Just play it cool._

Just then, Madame made a noise like a chocobo having its neck strung, which startled them both considerable. He and Lenne could only gape as Madame rushed off back into the crowd.

And now he was stuck all alone with someone who could give the Abominable Snowman a run for his money.

Sighing mentally, he turned to face her. _This **so **__ain't my day._ _Sometimes, life just gets its kicks out of screwing me_. She, however, was still watching Madame with a slightly dazed look on her face. Shuin didn't blame her; Madame had that effect on most people.

"Who on Rhea is she?" murmured Lenne to herself, eyes riveted onto Madame. After idly wondering for a second if he should answer that, he spoke.

"Don't take the name of Yevon's disciple in vain!" he said reproachfully, his eye large and sorrowful. He had every intention to goad her into anger. He liked to start as soon as possible.

Her liquid brown eyes flew to him wrath. "I just so happen to be a Summoner of Yevon, and I _don't_ need you giving me advice!" she snapped.

_Well, well, that went off well. I can tell we're the best of friends now!_ _So she's a Summoner, eh?No wonder…stodgy old freaks. They think they can bloody save the world, but they're only flesh and blood like the rest of us!_

Rolling his eyes, he returned to the subject at hand. "That," he said jerking a thumb in Madame's direction, "Is Madame Cherie. It is so typically her not to introduce herself to you!" He rolled his shoulders and put his hands behind his head. Just to galvanise Lenne even more, he began whistling loudly, reveling in the glares both Lenne and everybody else shot at him. "Honey, you should've made that face on stage. People would've gotten their money's worth _then_. Paying to see a Cactuar with a toothache…"

His only reply was a strangled noise and he grinned. _Too easy! Maybe this evening isn't a total waste!_

* * *

Lenne honestly did try hard to conceal the infuriated noise that erupted from within her, but to no avail. _He called me a Cactuar with a toothache! _Then she frowned. There seemed to be a problem with the statement. "Do Cactuars even have teeth?" she asked him confusedly. "Because I've never seen one in the pic-" 

He turned to face her with that perpetual sneer hanging on his face. "Why don't you look in a mirror, _dahling_?" Lenne took a deep breath. She took three more deep breaths, and giving him one last glare, she stalked away with what dignity she could muster.

_That…that_-it seemed like Lenne was about to break her policy on swearing-_bastard! From the very beginning with his **stupid** attitude he's been annoying the Yevon out of me!_ "Are you _sure_ you aren't a _machina_?" The infuriating voice broke through her angry thoughts. Without turning around, she gritted her teeth. Apparently this Shuin was going to be stuck to her all evening, with the mission of getting himself killed.

"_No,_ I am _not_ a machina. I do _not_ like you." She spun to face him, hand raised, on the verge of Summoning. It would tire her later, but right now it seemed like a good idea.

He didn't know it, but his stomach saved him. Happily he pointed towards the long, elegant-looking table where many people were already seated. "Food!" he cried joyously. "C'mon man! I am _so_ starved!" Before Lenne could open her mouth, he had rushed off towards the table, leaving Lenne open mouthed once more. _Why is everyone here tonight so **weird**? _Mentally sighing, she trudged off behind Shuin. _What a long day; all I want to do is go home and sleep!_

By now, most of the people had sat down, and she noted sadly that one of the few available seats was opposite Shuin, who was trying to hurry a poor waiter into the bringing the food. This time, she sighed out loud. "I sorry, sir! I no can do that! Food no yet ready, sir!" protested the poor waiter weakly. His accent sounded Calopian.

"Stop harassing the waiters!" she exclaimed as she sat down. "Haven't you ever eaten before?" Shuin threw her s sour look and the waiter hastily and gratefully made his escape.

"It's pretty obvious _you've_ eaten before…you look like an over-inflated Bomb, and that's saying something!" he shot back at her. Blinking, Lenne bit her lip angrily. _But…am I really that fat?_ Outwardly, she put a scowl on her face and gave him the full benefit of it. _What the hell are Bombs, anyway?_

"Shut. Up." It was said though gritted teeth.

That familiar sneer snaked its way onto his face, again. "Don't flatter yourself, darling. We aren't all going to rush to do her ickle songstress' bidding." Crossing his arms and shutting his eyes after blowing out a loud breath of air, he fell back into the chair. The soups began to arrive.

Lenne gave up her battle with him. It was just no use! _I hate him…why is he being so rude, anyway? What did I ever do to him!?_ She began attacking her soup with a ferocity not unlike the last moments of a blitzball match between the Zanarkand Abes and the Calopian Capoes. Since her _amiable_ friend for the evening was too busy eating to converse-_If he knew how to!_-politely with her, she idly listened to scraps of other conversations round the table.

Madame Cherie was bombarding her latest victim: "Oh, dahling, I _do_ love this soup so! What _is_ it? Oh, Felidine, naturally. I _do_ so enjoy a _good_ meal!" _That's obvious…_Madema Cherie was an example of an over-inflated, walking, talking blitzball- minus the brand logo. Lenne checked herself on that thought; Madame _had_ been very sweet and very nice about her performance. It wasn't fair that she make fun of Madame like this.

Lenne's ears traveled on.

_There's Mr Fianca, Uncle's business partner! He came over for dinner last month with his wife, didn't he? How nice of him to come and watch me! _She felt aglow with gratitude. "It's true- all the Western Provinces of Spira have begun increasing their machine arms. Zanarkand has, too, for what it's worth," he way saying.

"But how terrible! As if we were going to war!" exclaimed his wife, dropping her napkin in dismay.

"Well, we need to be prepared in case any other country acts aggressively towards us. Vegnazia, for example. We've _never_ had good relations with them, and it's been almost 3 exchanges of fire with them since the Evo." This was entered quietly by Uncle.

"It's ridiculous- each of the Western powers trying to build a bigger and better machine than each other! When will it ever end, I ask!" snorted out a gruff looking man, whose moustaches wheezed out to punctuate all he said. "And in the meantime, our nations are teeming with spies-are _you_ a spy? Eh?" He threw this at the trembling waiter who brought the main course.

Lenne smiled.

Mr. Fianca's wife piped up, having soothed her nerves. "But we have something no one else has: the Sum-"

Lenne was distracted by a loud and hearty burp issuing from opposite her.

"That hit the spot! What's next, man?" Shuin gave the waiter who was serving him a hearty smack on the back. Both Lenne's heart and the waiters did ugly back flips as the dishes on the waiters arm trembled precariously. And both Lenne and the waiter sighed audibly in relief as the dish was steadied.

Lenne turned angrily on Shuin, her patience finally snapping. "Why do have to be such a _retard_?" she shot at the oblivious idiot in front of her. He blinked at her outburst stupidly a few times, and then that teasing grin reappeared.

"I thought you _loved_ me, Lenne _dahling_!" He batted his eyelashes at her, and it was _not_ lovable. It made Lenne want to smack his head. He then began to attack his meal once more.

"I could be watching the match right now, instead of this-this…_torture_!" she muttered angrily to herself. _But no, I just have to be stuck with this imbecile for the rest of the eveni-_

"What match?" The bright, happy voice cut annoyingly through her thoughts. Lenne almost cried. _I can't even talk to **myself**! _

"The blitzball match…" she muttered, hoping no one else had heard. People were always shocked when Lenne said she liked blitzball; she always wondered why. And blitz was something Lenne held very close to her heart, being a die-hard, staunch supporter of the game; something she would not want to discuss with _Shuin_ of all people.

"_Blitzball?"_ Lenne flinched slightly at the incredulous tone of his voice. "Holy-friggin'-Yevon-" Flustered as she was, Lenne had to let out one rebuking "Hey!" at this point, and was disdainfully ignored for her pains. "-you watch _blitz_? _You_?"

"Yes…so what?" It was a squeak.

* * *

_Maybe she's not such a Cactuar after all…_Shuin frowned at her. It was still a little hard to process little Ms. Perfect in front of him screaming her guts out a blitzy match. "Nothing, nothing. Just couldn't picture _you_ at a blitz match between the Abes and the Duggles!" He grinned at her, and it was not a teasing, sneering grin. 

She looked slightly stunned.

And then she grinned back; a little uncertainly, true, but it was a grin.

He would have rubbed his eyes if he hadn't been eating. The prickly little cactuar girl herself had _grinned_ at him. Would wonders never cease?

He tried to subtly find out more about this phenomenon. _Maybe she's lying…I'll have to test her knowledge._ "So, what's your favourite team, and who's your favourite player?"

Those big brown eyes of hers sparkled. "The Abes, of course! And Midel is my favourite player! He is just so amazing with the ball!" He nearly choked. _Midel? Abes? _

"Me _too!" _he exclaimed, swallowing his food hurriedly. "Midel rocks! Isn't just fantastic? Damn, I wanna play like him!" She then looked at him strangely.

"You play blitz?"

His smile faded and his fork felt heavier. _Maybe…maybe I should tell her. Never mind what dad said; dad was friggin' kidding. Right?_ He gulped once or twice, to ease the butterflies in his stomach. He glanced at the food with a frown; was this really Calopian Curry or just baked butterflies? He shivered at the thought, and turned back to Lenne, who was waiting for a reply expectantly.

"Um…yes. In fact, as of yesterday, I play for the Abes."

There was a smash as a wine glass dropped to the floor, spilling any wine within it. Lenne jumped, and twisted to see who had dropped it,and sodid Shuin. It had been Madame Cherie.

"Oh, Shuin _dahling!_ You never told us you play for the _Zanarkand Abes!_ Since when? But how _amazing! _To think you _never_ told us!" The whole room was silent now, and everyone was staring at Shuin in awe.

He gave them all a sheepish smile.

"Surprise?"

* * *

Lenne watched quietly as everyone congratulated Shuin heartily on his success. _He…plays for the Abes? And his favourite player is Midel, too! _She didn't feel that anger towards him anymore. In fact, she felt downright curious about this strange boy, who was shyly-_shyly!_-thanking his well-wishers. 

"Oh, um, haha! Thanks! No, I haven't played any games yet! Only got moved up into Team A- that's the main team- yesterday. Short notice, eh? Yeah, haha!" He looked nervous, which Lenne would not have deemed possible had she not seen it.

Slowly, people drifted back to their places, and she heard Shuin sigh with relief as he sat back down. Then she cleared her throat. When he heard the sound, he looked up, surprised, as if he'd forgotten she was there.

"Congratulations!" she said, sincerely. "That's just…fantastic! And to think you let me go on about how much I loved the Abes when you knew that you were a part of it!" She paused, out of breath.

Shuin stole the opportunity to speak. "Thanks."

She stared at him.

* * *

_Damn…maybe I shouldn't have said anything!_ He felt awkward, staring at Lenne. He opened his mouth to say something; anything-just to break the silence. But before he could speak, she did. 

"You better give me your autograph _now_! That way, I won't have to fight through mobs later on, to get one! And try and get me Midel's as well, now that he's your _teammate!_" She laughed, and it was a cute laugh; a bunch a raucous giggles.

_Ugh, fuck, what am I **thinking**?_

He flashed his supermodel smile at her. She didn't look dazzled. "Sure, no problemo. Just don't lose it; I'm a _very_ busy person!" He tried to settle in a dramatic pose.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Stuff up!"

"Speaking of stuff up…" He grinned and took a big bite of his food, feeling the separation from it keenly-it was cold now. "So, anyways, don't you think Midel is just _awesome_ when he does that shot…that…"

"You bet! And do you notice the way he gets all his passes? He never misses one! That's just amazing!" babbled the girl excitedly, while he watched her closely.

_Huh, who'd have thought tonight would've been bloody…**fun**._

* * *


	3. Hidden

**Memory From A Dream**

* * *

_Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door swing,  
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away  
Now don't it always seem to go  
That you don't know what you got till it's gone  
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot  
Hey now now, don't it always seem to go  
That you don't know what you got till it's gone.._Big Yellow Taxi, Counting Crows

* * *

When Lenne awoke the next morning, blinking into the bright sunlight, waves of contentment crashed down onto her. Life seemed…perfect. It was the only word to describe the way she felt when she saw the reflected sunlight on the dome-topped buildings outside, and the distant blue sea meeting the oh-so-blue sky. It seemed inadequate to describe the concert last night; or for that matter; her new friendship with Shuin.

It was odd. Last night, for a few moments, she would have willingly summoned Ifrit to _squash_ Shuin. He had made her so angry! And yet…Lenne energetically pushed off the blankets and sat upright on her bed, her tousled brown hair falling around her….and yet; they had become very good friends later on.

_He plays for the Zanarkand Abes! _Last night, she had not been able to _fully_ appreciate this fact; but now it seemed to glare at her as bright as the sun. She skipped energetically off the bed and smoothed down her silky pajamas.

It was a blithe and light-hearted Lenne who went down for breakfast.

* * *

It was, however, a grave and distracted Uncle who informed her that Calopia had declared war on Epiden.

She couldn't understand it. _Why is Uncle so upset about it?_ Yeah; war was bad. She'd always been taught _that_, from both Uncle and her mother. In fact, the words 'mother' and 'war' in the same sentence brought someone else into the picture…

* * *

_Little Lenne hated that smell. It was almost sharp and bitter, to her sensitive nose. For her, it symbolized everything 'father' stood for. She knew why he smelt like that…it was that strange, golden drink he always drank._

_Little Lenne didn't like that drink, either. She has put her small pink tongue to it one night, and it had tasted yucky. It made papa act strange after drinking it. Sometimes papa would laugh and be happy, and at other times he would shout and throw things at mama (this was before mama had taken Lenne away)._

_And his trembling hand would reach for another bottle of that drink…_

* * *

**No!** Lenne squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to remember that. _Erase them…erase those memories._ Instead, she pushed further into her memories, dug deeper into the past…

* * *

_It was pretty, the way the moonlight streamed across the room and illuminated mama's face. Mama was extremely beautiful, in Lenne's opinion. When Lenne grew up, she wanted to look just like mama. Mama didn't have messy hair; her hair was long too- longer even than Lenne's!- and straight, and oh-so-shiny._

_Lenne gazed admiringly at mama. Then mama stirred, and looked at Lenne. There was something strange in her eyes. It wasn't the patient sorrow that Lenne could somehow always see there, hidden though it was. No; this was something wilder, more uncontrolled and passionate. _

"_I want to tell you about your father."_

_Mama had never slapped Lenne in physicality, but it felt like she had dealt a severe mental blow to her now. It was a slap that left her agape…stunned, even. **Not him! Not him!** Lenne remembered precious little about her father, and even that she tried to forget. **Father was a drunk…a bastard!** She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, her palms suddenly hot and sticky. _

_Mama was watching. So she relaxed slightly. "He-he wasn't always the way you saw him, darling. He used to be so…" Mama's voice trailed off, while Lenne bitterly acknowledged the love that still lingered about the words Mama spoke. "So wonderful. We had a tiny little house- we were just married, and just starting out, you know. And then…The Evo happened."_

_The Evo._

_Lenne's mind quickly ran over something she had once read about The Evo. _

**_The Evo was an evolution of the last century into this. Consecrated by the blood of millions, the people of the Western provinces rejoiced at its end, on December 2nd, as a red sun rose. And they swore…they swore to never make such a mistake ever again. It had begun with one of Calopia's top scientists – Igneus Fallop – discovering how to implant human genes into a machina, which would allow him to create a mutant race (or army, as he later intended it to be). _**

_**Not strictly machine, and not quite human, these mutants were superior to both and all. The corruption and perversion of Fallop led him to create these monsters with one purpose: to capture all of the Western nations. Calopia was supported in this mad endeavor by Vegnazia and opposed fervently by Zanarkand, Epiden and Tome. Epiden, being a small nation on the eastern border of Calopia, was seized almost immediately. **_

_**What followed was a long and bloody 5 year war between the Western powers. It ended only when Fallop himself was assassinated, and his 'forbidden machina', as they were termed, destroyed. **_

_Lenne was shaken back to the present by the sound of Mama's voice. _

"_It had only been 15 months…And the government began conscripting men into the army. Your father had to go, too. And the man I knew…"- Mama's voice broke a little here- "…never came back. He never was the same after the first few messages home. And he never told me anything about what happened during that war, or why he acted that way around me." Mama's voice had become almost a crescendo. But she caught herself, and stopped abruptly with a wry smile._

""_When he came back, his hands couldn't stop trembling…"_

_**And his trembling hand would reach for another bottle of that drink…**_

"_Shell shock, they called it. He didn't work…his eyes were bloodshot and red, all the time. And he was covered in scars…so many scars. He was addicted to drink. Slowly, we couldn't afford that house anymore. Or any house, for that matter. I tried, I did! I had three jobs at one point, just so that we could maintain that little hell-hole in the slums, which we had. But there was only so much I could do, and he…he still wouldn't leave that drink of his. It became worse! From five bottles to fifteen! And-and…I never knew if he still loved me or not. Was I just there? Did he even care?" _

_The story became a jumble of meaningless words no longer addressed to Lenne. But what made Lenne's own hands tremble were the tears flowing out of Mama's eyes. Slow, sad, silent tears. With a sob choked out, Lenne flew at Mama and hugged her tight. **Mama never cries! Patient, sweet Mama! **_

_**She still loves him so much…**_

* * *

War did _that_ to people. But still…

"Oh, Uncle! Epiden is so far away! It can't affect us here, here in Zanarkand, can it? And anyways, Epiden had it coming to them. They're a heathen country, aren't they? They don't believe in Yevon, and Calopia is so strongly Yevonese like us, that's probably why they did it. Religious differences and the like…It was only a matter of time be-"

She broke off as Uncle grabbed her by the shoulders. Her eyes widened, and became brown swirls of surprise and slight fear. "I've taught you better than that, Lenne. Tell me I have. If I haven't, then I'm definitely a failure in my role as your guardian." His words were quiet but strong.

Lenne lowered her eyes in shame, but she said nothing, waiting for him to go on.

"Does it really matter if Epidenese do not believe in Yevon? Does it really make it right for them to die and be slaughtered by the millions merely because of Calopia's greed? Is that what you are saying, Lenne?"

Her face was like stone. She _had_ been taught better than that.

"I'm so sorry Uncle," she said meekly. "I didn't mean…"

"I know darling, I know. But be careful with your words, and do not let Yevon cloud your judgement."

She nodded, still ashamed of herself. Silently, she pulled the news tablet towards her. It was a wonderful machina, the news tablet: a small, portable, colourful screen that displayed all the latest news at any time of day. Ingenious. She turned it on, a simple matter of pressing the huge red button on the right.

"**Calopia Declares War On Epiden…But WHY?" **blared a headline. Below in slightly smaller lettering, it read: **"What use could Calopia have for Epiden? Were all the Forbidden Machinas REALLY destroyed?"**

Click. She pressed a blue button to move on. Flick.

"**Will Zanarkand Go To War Too? Will We Defend Our Allies?"**

Flick.

"**Vegnazia Remains Silent On The Issue- Were They Aware of Calopia's Plans?"**

In frustration, Lenne turned the news tablet off. "Do you think Zanarkand will go to war?" she asked suddenly and abruptly. Uncle took a sip of his black coffee and shook his head.

"Not yet, we won't. We haven't really been mobilizing for the past few years, but they'll start at full speed now. And Epiden isn't really worth risking the lives of millions to our government…yet. We probably won't, unless Calopia or Vegnazia looks threatening to us." Draining his coffee, he stood up. "Well, Lee, I'll be back about seven. If you're going anywhere, let me know, alrighty? Oh, yes, and Mr. Kan will probably phone about your next concert date or venue or something like that. You can figure out the details, can't you? Bye, then."

With this fatherly banter, Uncle straightened his tie and left.

Leaving behind a desolate Lenne.

* * *

"Oh Yunie, I was _so_ nervous!" said Lenne to the huge screen hung on the wall behind her bed. On the screen, a silver-haired beauty shook her head with a smile. It was the Summoner Yunalesca. "You weren't even there for support, you meanie!" Lenne threw her pillow at the screen as Yunalesca burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, Lee…but you know I couldn't come! I had that wretched ritual to do…High Priest Zukon made me inscribe all those tablets. Ugh, my hand! At least a million, I bet. I mean…who _cares_ about those things? It's not like we're all gonna become extinct overnight!" Yunalesca was Lenne's best friend, and Lenne trusted her implicitly. They had even gone through the trials of Yevon together, having been raised to the rank of 'Summoner' at roughly the same time.

It was well known to all the High Priests and Maesters that these two girls were very special indeed, both having amazing powers of summoning and magic. They also knew that Lenne was in fact the better of the two; her powers being _phenomenally_ strong. But Lenne, has she known, would have wished for a little less summoning power, and a little more of the grace and charisma that Yunie possessed.

At parties and gatherings, it was always Yunalesca who mingled and more often than not got the awkward Lenne through. But Lenne (although she never quite realized it) was a sweet, simple soul who was almost always smiled favourably upon. She was never jealous or bitter of her precious Yunie, and the two girls were intensely loyal and faithful to each other.

"High Priest Zukon? I've never had him. What's he like?"

"Horrendous. A mean old slave-driver if there ever was one. And that's an understatement, by the way…"

Lenne grimaced and grinned at the same time. "Well, I don't have any Summoner sessions for at least a month, thank Yevon."

"Me neither! Yippee for that."

Both girls were silent for a while, Lenne twisting a strand of hair idly while Yunia examined her nails. Then Yunie spoke.

"So, did you meet any cute guys last night?" She had a teasing grin on her face.

Lenne flushed slightly and shook her head with a tolerant grin.

"_Liar!_ LIAR!" Yunie jumped up as if electrified. "A friend of mothers was there, you know, and she has a son. About a year older than us…surely you met the son?" Lenne looked blank. Yunie sighed loudly from sheer frustration at her stupidity. Lenne could be _so_ dim. "Shuin! His name's Shuin-" Lenne gave a start- "Aha! AHA! So you did meet him! And he, my dear, is _very_ cute. Are you blind to bits or what! He is _fine_."

Lenne stuck her nose into the air and assumed a dignified pose. "I met him, yes. At first, he was a rude, arrogant little-"

"Yeah yeah yeah. He's always like that at first," broke in Yunie. "But both of you are so blitz-crazy, I thought you'd hit off fine! He's a trainee with the Abes, you know." Yunie winked devilishly.

Lenne felt a touch smug as she replied; "Not anymore. He's in the team now. The _actual team!_" She tried to keep that tell-tale tinge of pride and admiration and excitement out of her voice, but it was impossible. Yunie waved her off again.

"Whatever. You know I can't stand blitz!" Lenne did know. "Anyways, darling, I've gotta scoot. Mama's taking me shopping, and Papa's just pacing because of Epide- By Yevon! I'm _coming_!" The latter was addressed to someone off the screen, presumably her mother. Yunie hurriedly grinned goodbye at Lenne and the screen crackled into blackness.

Which left Lenne alone in the fading brightness of her room, deep in thought.

* * *

_Lenne's cheek was pressed against her mother's wet one. Mama was crying, but why? Papa wasn't shouting, for once. Instead, he was sitting on the dusty, moth-bitten couch with his head in his hands. His brown locks were messily rumpled, and his whole figure conveyed the desperation of the situation he was in, and the moroseness he felt inside._

_Lenne was scared. This wasn't normal…_

_Mama was saying something._

"_I can't stay any longer. I just can't." Kaila tried to keep the tears from falling. That line was meant to be cool, calm and collected! Lower lip trembling, she stared down at the man she had given all of her unconditional love to…whom she still loved._

_He didn't look at her. **Good…if he looks at me, I may just change my mind.**_

_But a part of her was aching to hear him object – to hear him say anything that would make her stay. **Unless…he wants me to leave?** A big, salty tear fell off the tip of Kaila's nose, eluding her hand's gentle brush._

_Still he didn't speak._

_And that was when the dam burst. "I hate you!" cried out Kaila, her wide eyes flashing through the water droplets that would get stuck in her lashes. "Why are you doing this to us?"_

_And then he looked up._

* * *

_Vik couldn't bear that look in her eyes, and it was heart-rending to know he had put it there. It was the first time since The Evo that he had actually been stone-cold sober without being furious at everything._

_Looking around, he saw his surroundings clearly for the first time. **I let Kaila and Lenne live in this?** He ran his fingers through his already rumpled up hair. **What…what..?** Even his mind struggled to find the words that fit. He stared miserable at Kaila's tearful eyes (carefully not meeting them, however) and at little Lenne's glossy brown hair. _

_What could he say? Could he really ask the love of his life and his precious child to stay in this filth a moment longer? _

_**How can I ever justify what I've done?**_

_The images flashed through his mind…_

* * *

"**Blood here, blood there. Blood everywhere!" Vik still hated that chant. It was so…crude. And so true. That was all the Evo had been so far: blood everywhere. The only thing that kept Vik going and his sanity intact was the thought of Kaila, and of little Lenne. The daughter he had never seen. She had been born only a month after Vik had left for the North-Eastern front.**

"…_**She reminds me so much of you. She had your eyes, you know. So full of fire and vim, they are! But I'm sure hers will look soft and gentle often, too. She already has an astonishing fringe of the sweetest, fuzziest brown hair you have ever seen! I'm telling you, Vik, our Lenne will be a beauty when she grows up. Our Lenne.**_

_**Oh, how much I miss you!**_

_**I really do hate all this war business…it terrifies me. Everyday I read on the news tablet about some horrendous new machina those wicked, murderous Calopian and Vegnazian brains have cooked up. To think that you should be posted on the Zanarkand-Calopia border! I can barely sleep at night.**_

_**You haven't had a meeting with something called X078-AA7, have you? Because then I fear that you won't get a chance to read this letter…**_

**_Ugh, but I'm sorry. I won't joke about such a thing. I really am scared. Oh, Vik…_**

**_Please be careful, and come home soon!_**

_**It probably sounds extremely simple and bland on paper, but…**_

_**I love you. I love you. For my sake's and Lenne's…please. Come home soon.**_

_**Forever yours,**_

_**Kaila. 3"**_

**Just as Vik finished his letter, a young soldier stuck his head inside the tent. "Squadron Leader Vik Mendel?" Vik nodded absently, still thinking about his letter. "A letter for you, sir, from Brigadier Rauil." Brigadier Rauil, the man himself…the man who was in charge of Zanarkand's attack on Calopia (or defending Zanarkand from Calopia, as some saw it).**

"**Thanks," Vik muttered, as he leaned forward to take the little piece of paper.**

**The young messenger smiled oddly, but Vik didn't notice. Then the soldier bowed and beat a hasty retreat.**

**Vik opened the second letter despite knowing what was inside.**

"**_Squadron 4 No. IV6, Special Forces Unit Leader Vik Mendel, _(Rauil wrote)**

**_A reminder to you, sir, of tomorrow's planned attack on X2R43E44 –_ the codeword for Calopian Machina Unit 344 –_ at precisely Z:00 CD. –_ 7:00 PM – _I have sent this through a completely trustworthy messenger, him being my own son, so have no fears that this message has been intercepted or read. You know what to do, and so good luck, soldier._**

_**-Brigadier Rauil Myoto**_

_**Sworn Defender of Zanarkand"**_

**Vik sighed wearily. _Why do I have to lead an offensive, of all things and people? And the Machina Unit, no less. _Unfortunately, he did know what to do. Excellent, brilliant young Vik Mendel who had never even touched a sword or gun or any weapon of sorts before being conscripted into the army, was suddenly a Special Forces Unit Squadron leader. And he was suddenly leading an all-important offensive on Calopia's machina unit; the 'wicked, murderous Calopian brains' who were most deadly and dangerous of all.**

**Vik grinned wryly, bitterly almost, and held the Brigadier's letter over the little candle flame on his table until it was nothing but a little pile of ashes.**

**In contrast, he lovingly picked up Kaila's letter, kissed it, folded it gently and placed it into his uniform's right breast-pocket. _Next to my heart tomorrow, when I'll need it…_And there it stayed forever, until the writing was too faded to read and the shirt too ruined to wear.**

* * *

_Memories of the next day were always too blurred and messed up in his mind. But not the aftermath of it…oh no, never those. **Those** memories flowed smoothly through his mind, no matter how hard he tried to forget. They followed on now…_

* * *

**He had led his band of talented, hopeful young men to their end.**

**And it was no noble, glorious end…it was an end of waste and ruin, needless pain and shame.**

**Now, as he lay bruised and bleeding in the dark, their faces flashed before him.**

**_Shaz Defello. 19. "I want to be an architect, sir Vik, sir…it's always been my dream to build a really beautiful building in Zanarkand, with waterfalls and all…" Shaz Defello. 19. His face battered beyond recognition, his identity only on the little card still hung around his neck. He would never build._**

**Blood here, blood there. Blood everywhere.**

_**Nando "Bug Eyed" Bandero. Loud, earnest and clumsy. "I've got one helluva beautiful girl waiting for me back home, sir…I can't wait to get back and see her. We're gonna get married the minute I'm back, and no one's gonna stop us, no siree!" Nando "BugEyed" Bandero. Loud, earnest, clumsy and dead. His body was full of bullet holes, and completely scarlet, stained red with blood. His "bug eyes" were still wide open, startled and amazed. **_

**Blood here, blood there. Blood everywhere.**

_**Derkie Rowes. His arms partially detached from his torso. Pex Lente. A bullet through the forehead, dead centre. Whoever had shot him had had good aim. Tex Lente. Hacked into bits. What was left of him were only bits and pieces of the whole. Tabi Sol. Swinn Loc. All dead...dead…dead…never to live their dreams, never…**_

"**The boys 'ad fun," spat the Calopian Leader when Vik's little 'tour' of his comrade's bodies was over. "But for you, we 'ave something more special, I promise." He had a taunting grin on his face, pleasure at the thought of torturing Vik.**

**Vik stayed numbly silent.**

**The Calopian, somewhat disgruntled by the lack of reaction on Vik's part, jerked roughly at the chain around Vik's wrists. As Vik dumbly began to move forward, however, he stopped abruptly, with a jerk.**

**It seemed like he was thinking for a minute, with a vein throbbing steadily in his head. Finally, he spoke. "I want you to know how it was that we knew you losers were coming," he hissed maliciously. "Don't you?" He got no answer. "Aw, c'mon. Sure ya do." Raising his voice, he called: "_Reva! _Oi! Reva!" A few seconds later, the heavy door swung open and Reva entered.**

**Only it wasn't Reva. For a few seconds Vik stared stupidly, and then it registered…**

_**I have sent this through a thoroughly trustworthy messenger, him being my own son, so have no fears…**_

**The messenger who had smiled oddly. That odd smile! That smile of victory. But…why? **

**It was a sudden movement, startling them all. Vik snarled and rushed forwards, arms straining to reach and wring Reva's puny little neck. "Your own father! You bastard! Why did you do it?" Reva too was startled, and he stepped back with sudden alarm. As more Calopian soldiers entered the cell to restrain Vik, the alarm morphed into a sneer.**

"**I bloody hate my father. Did anyone honestly expect me to support a man who was never home for my mother? Who didn't give a bloody _damn_ about his child? He treated me like dirt, unless it was something to do with my military training. I bloody _hated_ living up to his bloody expectations!" **

**There was silence. The soldiers were now pulling Vik out of the cell. **

**As Vik left, he heard Reva's scornful voice calling out to him. "Squadron Leader Vik Mendel? I thought you were _good_."**

**Vik had paid for his rage. "50 stripes of the whip…we won't feed him to the machinas just yet. I want him to hurt."**

**Later, in the dark, he crawled over to the soft pile of clothes; his shirt and jacket. Fumbling through it with trembling fingers, he finally found the letter. Sitting there in the darkness, his bloody fingers held the squarely-folded piece of paper, which was all he had left. Ignoring the pain on his bloody back, he moaned.**

"**Oh, Kaila…"**

* * *

_So what if the Evo had finished 10 days later? Excellent, brilliant young Vik Mendel was never quite the same again. The Calopian soldiers had had their 'fun' with him. He wasn't remembered, no war hero, no reward for what he'd gone through. For the next two months, he could barely limp, and he could not lie on his back for the flesh had all literally been flayed off. _

_So he had stayed for two months at a Northern Zanarkand Aid Centre, refusing to go home like this, refusing to let Kaila see what he had become. He was finally discharge, only physically healed. All the guilt he felt at being responsible for his comrades death hit him time after time like tsunamis…there were days and nights when he thought of nothing else, nightmares with them leering at him, clawing at him desperate to get revenge for what he had done…_

_On his way home, he found a liquid cure for the mental agony. _

_All of this ran through his mind as he stared desperately at Kaila. **Tell her….tell her, dammit!** **Tell her not to leave! **Why hadn't he told her about the Evo? She would have understood. Kaila always did. But he didn't deserve to live…not after what had happened to them. **They fought every battle with me…how is it that I'm still here and they're gone? Gone without the glory they deserved.** He wanted to drown. He tried to drown himself in drink._

_And he had been too drunk and busy drowning to see Kaila and little Lenne._

_Hehad brought them here._

_**I can't ask her to stay…not after I did this to her and Lenne. **And so, although it went against every fibre of his being, he said the word._

"_Go."_

* * *

_Kaila stared in disbelief as she heard him say it. Go. **Go?** Just go. Nothing more….go. The ache was so strong that even tears didn't fall anymore. Without another word, lest she completely break down in front of that man, she slowly picked up her battered old suitcase, gripped Lenne's hand tighter, turned and left._

_She was gone._

* * *

_Vik watched her leave with dumb, agonizing remorse. He spent so long wondering whether he should run after her, grab her and force her to come back that it was soon too late. She was gone. **Oh, Kaila…**_

* * *

_Lenne never saw her father again._

* * *

Lenne sat up, sweating. She must hav dozed off after talking to Yunie! Raindrops were smacking against the windows hard, and the world outside could only be described as grey, dull and depressing. Normally, Lenne liked the rain, but after her strange 'dream' she would have much rather had bright sunlight.

What a horrible dream it had been.

Well, she wasn't really sure whether it was a memory or a dream. A bit of both, she supposed. There were parts from when mama had left papa, but the rest of it…she had never seen or heard of such things in her life. She swallowed hard twice, and then laughed uneasily. _I'm being silly…of course the Evo wasn't that bad!_ After all, the casualty number released had been so low!

Much of the dream had now faded from her mind, and she didn't strain to remember. _Those bodies…bullets…_She shivered violently, and hastily scrambled out of bed. _I need to do something to get my mind off this!_

But as she stumbled distractedly down the stairs, she could not help but wonder…"Did papa really have to go through all of that? Watch people die around him like that?" _Mama had said he was a strong man_. She had said he had been the leader of some unit attacking Calopian forces. "But he never told her what happened at the Evo…"

She stepped into the brightly lit kitchen and immediately felt better. "Well, we'll never know."

Busily, and much more cheerfully, she began preparing a snack for herself. She had just taken a bite of the sandwich when the big screen in the kitchen beeped. Sighing, she got up and walked over to check who the caller was.

**Number Unidentified: F20954JUH7**

Cautiously, Lenne hit the "Accept Call" button. You never knew what kind of idiots would call a random number, flash rude gestures at the innocent person and then tune off. As soon as the screen flickered on, she reeled back. The screen in the kitchen was slightly larger than the one in Lenne's room, and Shuin's curious face filled the whole thing.

"LENNE!" he bellowed at her. Poor Lenne jumped slightly, and edged further back.

"H-hi Shuin," she stammered. After getting a close up of Shuin's bright blue eyes, he moved back and the view was less intimidating. She could now see what was obviously a little bit of his room; there were blitz posters everywhere.

"How ya been?" he asked cheerily.

Steadying herself, she resumed her cool demeanor. "Since less than 12 hours ago? Fine." She grinned a little.

"Good…good…"

Silence.

"So…uh, how'd you get my number?" Lenne asked, wanting to make some conversation.

"Yunie," he replied simply.

"Oh." _Yunie!_ "So…um…what's the reason for the call?" It was a bit rude, she knew, but she really was at loss as to what to say. But Shuin sat up straighter at her words.

"Heh, listen." _I am listening!_ "I got some free tickets for the Abes-Capo game tonight, and …here's the best bit! I'm playing! So I was wondering…well, if you'd like to come along and watch. I managed to bug Yunie into going too, and some of my other pals will be there too, so…" He trailed off, waiting almost hopefully for her response.

Lenne's face was aglow, and wonderful to look at. "_You're_ playing? _Of course_ I'm there! I'll be rooting for you for sure! Wow! I mean…_wow_. That's fantastic!" Her words were eager and excited. "Thank you _so_ much! And I can't believe you actually got Yunie to go; she hates blitz!"

"It wasn't easy…" muttered Shuin darkly, at which Lenne giggled.

"Yup, it's like she has a personal vendetta against blitz. Anyways; what time is the game? "

"Well, we're all meeting outside the stadium at about 6:30, so I can give y'all your tickets. The game starts at 7:15. You'll be there, yeah?"

Lenne jumped up and down clapping lightly. "Of course! And again…thanks so much!"

Shuin grinned and ran his fingers through his hair, looking rakishly handsome. "No prob; you have to come, you know. I sat there through your concert, so you have to sit through my game!" He pulled a long tortured face, which was quickly replaced by the familiar teasing grin.

Lenne scowled. _He just has to finish off being a jerk, doesn't he?_ But the screen flickered off just as she opened her mouth to retort, and so she stood there, slightly dazed for a second.

And then she smiled.

* * *


	4. Pangs of Doubt

**Ad Infinitum**

**Disclaimer: **All the characters mentioned in this story…ok, fine. Not all (i.e. Zen, Zanita, yadda yadda.) But most of the important characters and places mentioned in this story are property of SquareEnix, so RESPECT them.

**A/N:** Heehee. Sorry. Thanks a bunch, guys for your reviews! I absolutely love and revere every single one of them. Sorry about being while with Chapter 4, but finally…here it is. Enjoy.

* * *

_Chapter 4: Claims to Fame_

_But there's a full moon risin'_

_Let's go dancing in the light_

_We know where the music's playin'_

_Let's go out and feel the night. _

_Harvest Moon, Neil Young_

_

* * *

_

She was tapping her foot impatiently and twirling a strand of that long, silky, shiny – _Aw, crap, quit! You're making me nauseous! –_ hair. Not a good sign. He motioned urgently to Lia to hurry; but just then, he caught sight of Zanita as the crowd around her cleared a bit. He heaved a sigh of relief, and slowed down to a _normal_ pace.

He winced as he saw Zanita and now Zen (who had just joined them) also wearing looks of exasperation. Her back was to him, but he was willing to bet her look could fry him on the spot faster than Ifrit himself.

Reaching her, he clamped his hands quickly over her eyes, giving her absolutely no time to react. "Guess who?" he cried out in an annoying, sing-song voice, as Lia let out a little giggle beside him.

"You're late." Her voice was cold. _Darn_. He was hoping she would have forgotten. Letting his arms fall back to his side, he looked sulky.

"Like a little boy caught playing blitz in the mud," murmured Zanita to herself, with an amused smile.

"I'm sooooo sorry, Your Highness Lenne, Your Majesty," he said sarcastically, going on one knee as a 'loyal subject' would. He noted gleefully that Lenne looked pissed-off. _She loves me, she really does! _Standing up, he let out a victorious little chuckle.

Suddenly, as he exulted secretly, he received a bang on the back which nearly sent him flying. _Oof._ "Yo, Shu', who's the babe?" Zen's voice was low, interested and obviously meant to be heard only by him. But by the look on Lenne's face, she had obviously overheard, and was _very_ interested in what he had to say.

"Yeah, _Shu'_. Tell us," she said snarkily. _Is it just me or does she sound a teeny-weeny bit…mean? _He glanced at Lia, who was now swooning over the "really, really big men!" on either side of the entrance to the Zanarkand National Blitzball Stadium, while Zanita watched her curiously.

Shuin cleared his throat. "She's damn hot, eh?" He elbowed Lenne in the ribs, just to rub it in and irritate her more. "Darling, do you know what that means? That means she makes me wanna swear every friggin' second I see her and hot damn! Have you seen her when she's no-"

"I don't know," interjected Lenne quickly, before the conversation got too intimate or perverted for her liking. Her face was slightly pink. Shuin smirked at her knowingly, and after glaring at him poisonously, she turned away. Shuin pulled a face at her behind her back, but was quickly forced to erase it as she turned unexpectedly around again.

"Hey, Shu'?" He eyed her warily. _Why does she sound so….nice?_

"Yeah?"

"What time do the Abes start warming up?"

"Oh, about six forty fiii…" His 'five' trailed off as the colour drained from his face, and his eyes widened. Numbly, he glanced at his watch – the expensive, water-proof, always-accurate prototype G1 model – and nearly fainted dead away.

7:07 PM.

Stuffing the tickets into Lenne's hands, he broke away at a sprint. "Shit! Shit shit shit shit! _Shit!"_ Who cared if everyone was staring at him fearfully, or if he was rudely colliding with every unfortunate soul in his path? _Coach will bite my bloody arse for this!_

"Good luck!" called Lenne after him, maybe a bit _too_ cheerfully.

"I bloody well _hate_ you!" he called over his shoulder. As he entered the stadium, the only sound ringing in his ears above all the din was that of Lenne's cheeky laughter.

Zen shook his head disapprovingly at Lenne, whose laughter was tumbling out raucously and helplessly. "You're so damn mean to the poor guy, I bleed as a fellow man." She straightened up, her bout of laughing over for the moment.

"Zen, he totally deserves it!" Zanita caught them both unawares.

"Yes, he totally does!" exclaimed Lenne, still smiling widely. "He is _so_…" She trailed off absently.

Zen subsided, defeated. He couldn't possible hold his own against _two_. He ran his fingers through his now bright green hair and scowled. "Women." Lenne and Zanita exchanged amused looks, and then chuckled together. As if it had all been on cue. Zanita walked over to Zen, and gave him a big hug and a peck on the cheek, as Lenne turned away grinning.

Seeing Shuin's latest girlfriend still bleating rapturously about the statues nearby, Lenne decided to go talk to her, and leave the lovebirds behind her alone for a while.

Zen and Zanita were two of Shuin's best friends, and Lenne had first met them on hat long ago night of Shuin's first pro blitzball game with the Abes. She smiled absently as she remembered how shy of and intimidated by them she had felt….

* * *

_The thought of meeting Shuin there itself had been scary, and had completely relied upon Yunie completely to sustain her while meeting some of his other 'pals' but…_

"_Yunie finked out," Shuin told her, rolling his electric blue eyes. "She really hates blitz, doesn't she?"_

"_I'm going to kill her," muttered Lenne darkly._

"_You're as mean as you look, huh?" He grinned at her teasingly, as she transferred her scowl from the absent Yunie to him. **Do not be rude to your host, do not be rude to your host. ..he's giving you the tickets and you will be polite and grateful, do not be rude to your host…he'll help you get to Midel, do not be…**_

_Impulsively, she grabbed his arm, as the crowd pressed in. "Thank you so much for the tickets, Shuin! He nodded doubtfully at her unexpected response. And then her attitude changed completely. "So now I don't have to feel guilty if I kill you, do I?" she asked plaintively._

_At that, he laughed out loud. "Make that meaner than you look!" he snickered. And then he sobered down. "Come on and meet my pals."_

_She hesistantly followed him, doubt and fear crashing within her. Indeed, the odd crew that greeted her only made it worse. There was a boy with electric blue hair, and eyes to match. There was a glint of metal above his eyebrow; he had a forehead piercing. Lenne shivered. And his clothes! They looked liked they'd been severely tortured – all rips and patches and threads._

_Holding his hand was a beautiful girl with an extremely thick mass of auburn hair and fiery green eyes. The only intimidating thing about her were the cool stares she bestowed upon them and her knee-high black leather boots that looked like they were itching to kick somebody._

_In almost strange contrast with them was a blonde belle, with pink pouty lips and a clear, creamy complexion. Her eyes were constantly innocently wide, and as blue as Shuin's. She was dressed in a pretty – rather exposing, Lenne thought – flowery dress that was probably better suited for a sunny-day picnic than a blitzball game, but…_

"_That's Zen" – pointing at blue-haired –"and Zanita" – obviously Zen's girlfriend –"and my girlfriend, Aily. People, this is Lenne; the girl I told y'all about?" The introduction itself left Lenne feeling queasy and nervous. **What if he told them bad things about me?** She wouldn't put it past him. And he had a **girlfriend**? Lenne wasn't quite aware of that deflated feeling somewhere within her; or maybe she just ignored it._

"_H-hi, all," said Lenne, slightly timidly. Shuin, Zen and Zanita all grinned at her, while Aily merely stared at her hard. After Aily's silent assessment of her was complete, Aily opened her mouth._

"_Whatever." Obviously, Lenne had failed. She then turned to Shuin and whinged. "Come oooon, Shuin, like, I wanna sit down! My feet hurt, I've been standing around for aaaages!" Aily had a nasal, whiny voice and even Shuin suddenly looked sheepish and uneasy at her rudeness as he took her hand._

"_Um, Lenne…Zen and Zanita will bring you in- I gave them your ticket, ok? Have fun and all-" Aily was tugging at his hand impatiently._

"_Let go of my hand!" she squealed, and Lenne watched in disbelief, with a heat rising within her. "You're ruining my nail-art! It hasn't dried yet!" She and the hastily apologizing Shuin disappeared into the blue shimmer of the arched entrance. On either side of the arch, the circular screens displayed the names of the teams playing – "Zanarkand Abes" on the left and "Dromadian Duggles" on the right._

_Suddenly, Lenne felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Zanita smiling at her kindly. "Just ignore that bitch," she said calmly. And then dropping her voice, she muttered, "They're all morons like that." Lenne knew this latter was not for her, and so she gave no sign she had heard it. Lenne immediately felt better, and she knew that she was going to like Zanita very much – and Zen._

_Zen chuckled, and spoke to Lenne for the first time. "All his girlfriends are like that." Zen and Zanita both chuckled. Lenne looked a little surprised._

"_You say all like he has a million," grinned Lenne._

"_She usually changes each week. His longest was…a month, I think. And the shortest about two days max.," explained Zen with a devilish grin. Lenne gaped at him for a minute, and then she threw a disapproving frown in Shuin's direction._

"_That's just wrong!" she said stiffly. _

"_He sure has some kinda taste," Zen offered by way of response._

"_That boy has the worst taste in girls, and that's probably why he hasn't found the right one yet," said Zanita rolling her eyes._

"_Heh, right one." Zen was now grinning…**goofily**. _

_Zanita gave him a cool stare, and Lenne giggled. When they heard her, they both turned their faces towards her expectantly, but she waved them off with a blush. "Oh, nothing! Shall we go inside now?" The entrance had officially opened, and the crowds were pushing in. However, she let it out as they walked towards the entrance._

"_What a cute couple!"_

_

* * *

_

Lenne grinned at the memory. Once more, she glanced back at Zen and Zanita. Turning back, she sighed a little wistfully. It was always like this at Shuin's games; Zen and Zanita, Shuin and his flavour-of-the-week….and Lenne. Gooseberry Lenne.

It was true she loved Zen and Zanita like an older brother and sister, and Shuin was one of her best friends (she realized now that perhaps she had had too few of those). They never made her feel left-out or alone (consciously, anyway), but sometimes she couldn't help feeling that way. And sometimes Shuin's girlfriends were extremely mean to her; Lenne often (but not always) too good-natured to reciprocate. It did rankle, though.

Suddenly, a shriek pierced her solemn reflections. "It's _Lenne! _Ohhhhh my_ GOD!" _And before she could blink, Lenne was surrounded by a sea of people all clamoring to talk to her, or waving bits of paper and pens in her face.

Three concerts and a few interviews after her break into the music industry, Lenne was getting accustomed to this. She enjoyed being not recognized for as long as it lasted; but after that she was always willing to please her fans, no matter the irritating wrist-ache after signing so many autographs!

"I can't take very long now, you know, or else I'll miss the blitzball match!" she explained, while quickly and expertly scribbling her name down onto the little pieces of scrap paper whisking into her face at every turn.

"Is it true you're seeing Shuin of the Abes, Songstress?"

Almost something of an overnight sensation, Lenne had been unanimously dubbed "Songstress" by all the leading news tabletoids, magazines and even the harshest of critics had had his heart softened by her voice. Unfortunately, now, this question was being asked unanimously by them too.

"_No_, I am not," Lenne sighed out patiently. "I swear, if I was in love, you'll hear me proclaim it from the dometops, and I wouldn't deny it! Shuin and I, we're just friends…in fact; his girlfriend's right there."

It cannot be denied that Lenne felt a gleeful kind of satisfaction when some of the crowd scurried over to Lia's side to interrogate her.

When the crowd's finally dispersed, she walked up to Lia. "Hiya!" she said brightly.

"Hello," came the short reply. Lia was still staring at the stone statues intently. Lenne looked at them too.

"These stone statues were built to symbolize the Twins- you know, the twin disciples of Yevon. It's said that the Twins were great warriors, who fought with spears- yeah, that's why they got those spears- amd it's said that they were like, the _creators_ of blitzball, too," muttered Lenne absently, touching the knee of the huge statue in front of her. "Apparently, the Twins were Zanarkanese, so we're very proud of them!" She smiled.

Lia was now staring at Lenne with her mouth open. "Like, WOW! How'd you know all that?"

Lenne shrugged it off with a grin. "No big deal- to become a Summoner, you have to memorise all this stuff. Most of it's pretty boring!"

"Oh, _no!_" exclaimed Lia eagerly. "It's really cool! I wish I could be a Summoner, too! Except that the priest-dudes aren't really all that nice, are they?" She wrinkled up her nose with distaste.

Lenne giggled. Lia seemed really nice, for a change. _Maybe Shu's evolving…_"No they're not; they're all bald and boring, actually." Lia giggled, too.

"Oi! Seňoritas! The entrance is open so c'mon!" called Zen to them. Sure enough, the shimmery aquamarine light which blocked people from entering was now gone. Eagerly, Lenne made her through the grand entrance into the coliseum-shaped stadium.

All around her people were pushing, shoving, laughing with anticipation.

She could feel it too; her pulse was racing. _Blitz time…_

_

* * *

_

"I'm not gonna kick your ass now, boy, coz' it's almost time for the game. But I will give you bloody hell _after_ the game. For now, just do good," Coach told him gruffly. Almost weak with relief, he wiped away the sweat from the back of his neck.

Midel – Shuin was still finding it hard to believe he played alongside _Midel_, his absolute idol – gave him a smile from the especially reserved stands for players not playing. Midel had fractured his wrist, and he would not be playing this game.

Shuin scrambled into the water canal that ran around the area of play, to get over the first cold shock of plunging into water. Leaning his head back against the side, he shut his eyes and cleared his mind, as he did before every blitzball match.

Irritatingly enough, it was Lenne's laughter that kept echoing in his mind.

**03.**_Outta my head, dammit!_

**02.** Thecrowds were stamping and cheering.

**01.**Shuin's eyes flew open.

**00. **He dove into the spherical area of play.

* * *

_C'mon, Abes! C'mon Shu'! Give us a goal!_ Lenne watched eagerly as the electrical orb that activated the water sphere and the grid lines and the big score-showing screen rose up and sent out tendrils of its purple charge. Overhead the roof slid apart, allowing the starry skies to peek through. 

"**Zanarkand Abes**** 0 – 0 Dromadian Duggles"** read the screen.

The horn sounded, and players from both teams hurtled into the gigantic water sphere; Duggles in yellow and Abes in blue.

A blitball appeared on a yellow grid dead centre of the sphere, and the centre player for the Duggles took his position opposite Shuin, who played centre for the Abes. _Come on, Shu'! GET THE BALL!_ The buzzer sounded and the screen flashed **"Blitzoff"**.

The ball flew into the air and Lenne screamed loudly (along with everyone else) as Shuin grabbed the ball with that annoying grin on his face.

"Yes, people! Shuin has done it again. Playing only his seventh game for the Abes, this young lad has proved himself a valuable member to the team. No..haha! Scratch that; one of the team's star players. Only _seven_ games; and he's already got an astonishing eleven goals under his belt. Come on, now, Zon…you _have_ to admit he plays like a pro.!"

"He _is_ a pro.! Mark my words, people, this Shuin will be the Abes' pride, if he already isn't. He is one _helluva_ sensation! I can only ask; where the _hell_ has he been all these years?"

"COME ON SHU'!" screamed Lenne at the top of her voice, as he speedily swam near the goal. Almost as if he'd heard her, Shuin looked _directly_ at Lenne and…winked. She booed angrily as a Duggle came to crash into Shuin just as the all also hurtled towards him.

But Shuin was equal to that, and he cleverly feinted downwards as the Duggle missed and was thrown forwards uselessly. Swimming up again at the speed of light, he caught the ball deftly. Lenne saw him take a deep breath and realized with a jolt of thrill that he was about to shoot.

"You can do it! SHOOT, SHU'! _Shoot!_" She was almost hoarse with shouting so much, but she was having the time of her life. _You only live once, right?_ She didn't notice the looks of amusement from Zen and Zanita, and those of bewilderment from Lia, who couldn't understand how the gentle, lady-like girl from outside had been transformed into this…_monster_.

With a series of elaborate twists and spins in the water, Shuin shot. Lenne watched with bated breath; more bated than when she watched Midel, although she didn't quite realize, promising to kill Shuin if he missed. _If you miss after all that showing off, I will stab you in the gut! You don't dare, not after all those unnecessary moves…c'mon…c'mon…_Her thoughts had taken a vicious tangent and she was making dark promises.

The buzzer sounded, and the scoreboard clicked.

"**Zanarkand Abes**** 1 – 0 Dromadian Duggles"**

The right side of the stadium erupted in cheers, while the left sank into sulks. Shuin leapt high above the sphere and turned a somersault in the air. _Show off…_Silver droplets of water whisked from his hair and glistened like beads on his face. Touching his index finger and middle fingers to his lips, he blew a kiss towards where….Lenne sat in the stands.

Lenne's breath caught. _Wha-?_

Behind her, though, Lia exploded. "I love you _too_, Shuin! WAY TO GO!" Lia blew a loud and rapturous kiss back to him.

All of Lenne's breath came whizzing out again, despite the fact that her chest was still tight. _Not to you, you fool…To Lia._ What had she been _thinking?_ She didn't quite understand why her smile faded away and why she suddenly stopped cheering. Or why her head felt heavy. Or why she felt so…cheated.

Uneasily, she smiled. _I've seen him with his girlfriends before…I've even seen him kiss them! What's happening to me all of a sudden? It's almost like I'm…eww…jealous of Lia. Oh, Yevon, ew. _Shaking her head at the very thought, she laughed out loud. _Someday though, my Prince Charming will come with me to a blitzball game too. _Giggling slightly now, she resumed screaming. _I'm just tired._

"C'MON ABES! KILL THE DUGGLES! C'mon, Shu'!"

* * *


End file.
